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Flavors · Tokat

Tokat kebabı

Lamb, tail fat, eggplant and potato on a skewer hung in a dedicated oven, with tomato, pepper and roasted garlic alongside, served on thin bread: the Tokat kebab, born in vineyard houses.

Traditional dish from Tokat

Also known as: Tokat kebap, Tokat kebabi

Updated October 2026

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Tokat kebabı — Tokat, Turkey — Tokat kebabı

Tokat kebabı — Tokat, Turkey

The Tokat kebabı is roasted vertically in an oven made specifically for it. On the skewer go, from top to bottom, tail fat, potato, eggplant and lamb, repeated four or five times. Tomatoes, peppers and large garlic cloves go on separate skewers. As it roasts, the fat from the top melts and drips over the vegetables and meat.

The meat comes from male Karayaka lambs, six to nine months old, raised on pastures and plateaus; Tokat pepper is mandatory. The oven, made of refractory brick, has a fire chamber, a chimney and a central rod where the skewers hang. They pass first along the front, next to the wood fire, and then along the back, over the coals: about 20 to 25 minutes in total.

To serve, the skewers are removed onto a tray lined with three thin breads (pide). Tomatoes go in the middle; around them, the kebab in the same order as on the skewer, the peppers and the whole garlic. Finally, the fat that collected in the oven is spread on top.

The name "Tokat Kebabı" is registered as a geographical indication (no. 188), requested by the Tokat Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The registration states that, before being served in kebab houses, the dish was made in the region's vineyard houses (bağ evleri) on special occasions.

Where it comes from

Tokat
Tokat kebab, born in the province's vineyard houses, with Karayaka lamb and Tokat pepper.

Ingredients

Karayaka lamb meat, tail fat, eggplant, potato, tomato, Tokat pepper, garlic; thin bread (pide).

How it is eaten

On the thin bread, with the tomatoes in the center and the oven fat on top; you eat it by pulling meat and vegetables with the bread.

When it is eaten

All year round.

Your questions

Questions about Tokat kebabı

What goes into the Tokat kebabı?

Lamb, tail fat, eggplant and potato on the same skewer, and tomato, pepper and garlic on separate skewers. Everything is served together on thin bread.

How is the Tokat kebabı roasted?

On skewers hung vertically in a brick oven made solely for it, first near the wood fire and then over the coals, for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Where does the meat for Tokat kebabı come from?

The registration requires male Karayaka lambs, six to nine months old, raised on the region's pastures and plateaus.

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